OSF Saint Anthony Breaks Ground on Cancer Center Expansion

9/08/2014 - Rockford, Illinois

The Administration at OSF Saint Anthony Medical Center breaks ground today on an expansion of the OSF Saint Anthony Center for Cancer Care. The 15,000 square-foot expansion and 3,000 square-foot renovation will address the growing demand for outpatient oncology services. The cost of the project is approximately $8.5 million, and completion is expected in August of 2015.

“OSF Saint Anthony Medical Center has long been committed to being a leader in cancer care for our community and opened our current Center for Cancer Care in 1995,” Paula Carynski, president of OSF Saint Anthony Medical Center said. “Since that time we have seen an unprecedented growth in the volume of patients we treat. To meet this continued demand, we have designed an expansion plan centered completely on the patient experience.”

The expanded and renovated space will more than double the amount of infusion spaces, increase the number of patient restrooms and include a retail pharmacy and wig boutique. By remaining connected to OSF Saint Anthony Medical Center, patients will have the peace of mind that they are within close proximity to the Emergency Department, inpatient oncology unit and diagnostic services such as MRI and CT.

“We are excited to have the opportunity to design a more spacious facility that increases our capacity and our patients’ comfort,” Richard Nora, MD, medical director for the Center for Cancer Care said. “This will enhance our already excellent oncology services. We were the first in the Rockford region to offer TrueBeam radiation therapy and stereotactic radiation therapy, and we are the only oncology team in the area to achieve QOPI certification. Our entire clinical team – nurses, technologists, physicists, physicians, pharmacists, dietitians, social services – and all the support services necessary for them to do their jobs will continue to strive to provide the best environment and use the most advanced equipment to offer the highest quality patient experience and outcomes.”

TrueBeam is the latest advancement in image-guided radiotherapy and has been offered to OSF Saint Anthony patients since August of 2012. QOPI is the Quality Oncology Practice Initiative certification from the American Society of Clinical Oncologists. It recognizes medical oncology and hematology oncology practices that are committed to delivering the highest level of cancer care.